Initially, a certain prejudice arose around Tasos Douvikas: the idea that Como could still succeed without him, perhaps even more so than he could succeed without Como. The small, great story of Italian football, far from the major cities, is full of strikers who only thrived in that specific context, from Massimo Palanca of Catanzaro in the 1980s to Gianni Comandini of Cesena and Vicenza around the turn of the century. But the thirteen goals he has scored are gradually dismantling this prejudice.
Not only because they are a respectable number, but because they reveal certain truths that we overlook. Nine were scored with his right foot, two with his left, and two with his head. Only three other strikers in Serie A possess the same versatility. They are Lautaro, Thuram, and Højlund, all more expensive, more publicized, and more glamorous than him. They are the only ones with at least two goals scored using three different parts of the body.
This is a sign of his attitude: having a strong foot, knowing how to use the other to avoid predictability, and having a presence in the penalty area. For a center forward, this is invaluable. It allows him to be effective in different types of games and to be served in practically every way, whether it's through a through ball, a low pass, a back-to-goal play, or a cross.
This doesn't transform Douvikas into Lautaro, Thuram, or Højlund, but it makes him an "Ulysses" of the penalty area, a striker who knows how to find different routes to goal, even when the game doesn't present him with the perfect opportunity. The thirteenth goal, the one that secured Como's participation in a European competition, is a revealing detail; a predatory goal, a ruthless action, born from intuition, persistence, and physical strength. A goal that suggests we should reconsider the initial prejudice. There's a personal instinct within Douvikas that allows him to score even when he's not the perfect number 9 in a well-structured team. He can even create his own scoring opportunities.
Douvikas first "unseated" Morata and then built his own credibility. He had scored many goals in the Netherlands, a league that boasts both legendary names [Cruyff, van Basten, Romário, Bergkamp, Ronaldo, van Nistelrooy] and hardworking goalscorers, without any other significant achievements. Como and Fabregas must have seen in him the right piece to add to the team, even though he scored far fewer goals at Celta Vigo. Douvikas cost 14 million, less than Lucca, less than Nkunku, less than Openda, and less than Piccoli. This proves that the transfer market is primarily driven by ideas, and good coaches work with those ideas. If you also have the money, all the better.